The Greatest Gift

We can call this the birthday blog… for my Dear friend Larry Kassen! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! What an amazing person that you are. I celebrate you on this day! You were a gift to meet! Always a delight. Always willing to give. Always willing to share. Always willing to try and put a smile on my face! You are a rare breed indeed. Be blessed on this day my friend. And what a time to have a birthday.

This is a season of great joy and God is showing His great love throughout this time. It is for healing and renewed strength for all those that had to press through this year! And God did give us the greatest gift in the world….that was His son, Jesus! ❤

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:9-11

On this day, Jesus was born. We are running around like crazy, running errands, last minute shopping…this season of giving, celebrating, laughter and joy. It is a time with close family and friends. For some it could be a time of grief. Maybe they cannot give, celebrate with others or find that way to express joy. There are broken homes and people in need of restoration in some way. But since the beginning of time, we have good news!

Jesus was born!

Some celebrate this time…is it actually the day of Jesus’ birth? That we have not pinpointed precisely but it is a season. Same for the day of Pentecost or the date that Jesus resurrected. They are all part of history that we live out today in victory.

Why did He come?

Why did God send His Son?

The highest price that could be paid for the greatest gift for us to receive, acknowledge and experience. We have that saving grace and unmerited favor. Did we do anything to deserve this?

Our human nature does things based on our circumstances. That is the natural thing to do without questioning. We do things based on what we get or we give based on the value people hold in our lives. Some of us even re-gift things we don’t like. We think who is deserving of things. Best gifts for the best. Hands down! But what God did was give the best gift for the worst!

This cost Him everything. It was the most expensive act to do for us. Can you put a price on that? For Christ it is all about others.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8

He demonstrated His love for us by giving us HIS BEST! This was a gift for us. Freely we have received, freely we give. This is not a gospel that we contain, but it is one that we must spread. It is for all. Here we see why God did this. Since the beginning of time on the creation of man- it took one to break the command.
So Jesus came to be the one to break the curse.

Through this gift we have eternal life! We have victory! And we have power over sin! We shall not be defeated. The curse of sin is broken!

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:12-19

Isn’t that the greatest gift ever!?! That ‘someone’ would surrender their life for our life! Glory be to God in the highest. Thank you for this amazing gift. We are free. It is finished –You have done it! That redemptive work is done!

Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-56

Happy Birthday to you…..
You have given the best gift to us all.